Range hoods for kitchen areas are used to provide for air flow across a range or cooking surface in order to remove heat and/or fumes. Typically, such hoods may include one or more fans within a duct placed over the range to receive air and fumes from the range and other parts of the kitchen area. The fan draws air up into the duct which in turn carries the fumes away from the range and draws more air across the cooking surface. Controls may be placed on the range hood, range, or both depending upon the features provided.
Building codes or guidelines may set forth a certain minimum amount of air that must be moved by the range hood during use of the range. Such amounts are typically based on maximum use scenarios that assume e.g., full heat output by the range and/or other cooking appliances that may be present in the kitchen. These requirements can operate to provide reasonable temperatures within the kitchen area while preventing an undesirable buildup of fumes—particularly smoke or haze—within the kitchen area.
However, depending upon e.g., the amount and nature of heat and fumes produced by the range or other kitchen appliances, it may be desirable to recirculate back into the kitchen all or some portion of the air drawn into the hood. For example, during operation where smoke or fumes are minimal, the recirculation of the air may be preferable to exhausting the same to the atmosphere. Exhausting air to the atmosphere from a kitchen area will draw additional air into the kitchen that eventually must come from outside the structure or dwelling containing the kitchen area. Air from the outside may need to be heated or cooled by an air-conditioning system depending e.g., upon outside air temperature, which in turn consumes additional energy and provides added expense. Accordingly, for certain cooking situations, recirculation of air into the kitchen may be very desirable.
Range hoods require installation and space for such installation. Certain conventional hoods have dampers or diverters, for directing the flow of air between exhaust or recirculation, that must be cut-in and/or installed as the range hood is being installed. For example, conventional range hoods may include dampers and diverters with mechanical linkages or other controls positioned throughout duct work that are installed as separate components along with the fan.
Accordingly, a ventilation system for a range hood that provides for both removal or recirculation of air from a kitchen area would be useful. More particularly, such a ventilation system that can be provided within a single unit that can be readily installed in a range hood would be particularly beneficial. Such a system that can be provided with manual or motor driven controls would also be beneficial.